Is today a public holiday in Denmark?

Danish Holiday Rules: Official Helligdage, Store Bededag Abolition & Grundlovsdag

Denmark's workplace calendar operates on a foundational Nordic principle that frequently surprises international employers and newcomers: Denmark has no single consolidated 'Public Holidays Act' that automatically guarantees paid time off for every worker. Instead, official Danish public holidays (helligdage) derive from the National Church liturgical calendar alongside retail closing rules under the Danish Closure Act (Lukkeloven), while an employee's actual right to paid time off is governed by the Danish Holiday Act (Ferieloven), the Salaried Employees Act (Funktionærloven), and sector collective agreements (overenskomster).

Official Danish Public Holidays (Helligdage) in 2026 & 2027

Following the abolition of Great Prayer Day, Denmark recognizes 10 official public holidays (helligdage) across the calendar year—8 of which can fall on weekdays and 2 of which always land on Sundays (Påskedag and Pinsedag):

• Fixed Calendar Holidays: New Year's Day (Nytårsdag, 1 January), Christmas Day (Juledag / 1. juledag, 25 December), and Second Day of Christmas / Boxing Day (2. juledag, 26 December).
• Movable Easter & Spring Holidays: Maundy Thursday (Skærtorsdag: 2 April 2026 / 25 March 2027), Good Friday (Langfredag: 3 April 2026 / 26 March 2027), Easter Sunday (Påskedag), Easter Monday (2. påskedag: 6 April 2026 / 29 March 2027), Ascension Day (Kristi himmelfartsdag: Thursday 14 May 2026 / Thursday 6 May 2027), Whit Sunday (Pinsedag), and Whit Monday (2. pinsedag: Monday 25 May 2026 / Monday 17 May 2027).

The Abolition of Store Bededag (Great Prayer Day): Verified Current Rules

For over three centuries, Denmark observed Great Prayer Day (Store Bededag) on the fourth Friday after Easter. However, on 28 February 2023, the Danish Parliament (Folketinget) enacted Act No. 214 of 6 March 2023 (Lov om konsekvenser ved afskaffelsen af store bededag som helligdag), which took effect on 1 January 2024:

• Ordinary Working Day in 2026 & 2027: The fourth Friday after Easter (which corresponds to Friday, 1 May 2026 and Friday, 23 April 2027) is no longer a public holiday and is no longer a shop-closing day under Lukkeloven. Outdated holiday calendars that still list Store Bededag as a Danish day off in 2026 or 2027 are incorrect.
• Mandatory 0.45% Annual Salary Supplement (Store Bededagstillæg): Under Section 3 of Act No. 214/2023, employees on fixed monthly salaries whose annual working time increased as a result of the abolition are legally entitled to a fixed wage supplement of 0.45% of their annual salary (typically paid out twice a year with May and August salaries, or accrued monthly). Hourly paid workers receive their ordinary agreed hourly wage (plus any applicable overtime) for working on the day.

Grundlovsdag (5 June), 1 May & Holiday Eves: Statutory vs. Contractual

Three of the most widely discussed dates on the Danish calendar are not official public holidays (helligdage), meaning time off depends strictly on sector agreements, shop law, or employer policy:

• Constitution Day (Grundlovsdag, 5 June): Celebrates the Danish Constitution of 1849 (and coincides with Father's Day in Denmark). While not an official helligdag, 5 June is a mandatory retail closing day under Lukkeloven, so most supermarkets and retail shops close. For employees, time off is governed by contract: banks, financial institutions, municipal offices, and most private companies grant either a full paid day off or a half-day off starting at 12:00. In 2026, 5 June falls on a Friday.
• International Workers' Day (1. maj): Not a statutory holiday and shops remain open. Time off (full or half day) applies only where specified in collective agreements (common in public-sector, construction, and industrial unions) or staff handbooks.
• Christmas Eve (Juleaftensdag, 24 December) & New Year's Eve (Nytårsaftensdag, 31 December): Neither is a statutory helligdag, though Lukkeloven requires shops to close all day on 24 December and after 15:00 on 31 December. Most collective agreements and office contracts grant 24 December as a full paid day off and 31 December as either a full or half day off.

Denmark Annual Leave Planner: Ferieloven & Feriefridage Bridges

Under the Danish Holiday Act (Ferieloven), employees accrue 25 days (5 weeks) of paid annual leave at a rate of 2.08 days per month under a concurrent holiday system (samtidighedsferie, holiday year 1 September to 31 August). In addition, most employees covered by collective agreements or modern corporate contracts receive 5 extra contractual holidays (feriefridage)—often called the "sixth holiday week"—which are ideal for bridging squeeze days (indeklemte dage):

Banking Clearing (Danmarks Nationalbank) & Nasdaq Copenhagen

Danmarks Nationalbank (which migrated Danish krone RTGS clearing to the pan-European TARGET services platform in April 2025 alongside domestic Sumclearing/Intradag) and Nasdaq Copenhagen observe a stricter closure calendar than general industry. Under the collective agreement between Finance Denmark (Finans Danmark) and Finansforbundet, all Danish banks and the Copenhagen stock exchange close completely on all weekday helligdage plus four additional bank closing days: the Friday after Ascension Day (15 May 2026 / 7 May 2027), Constitution Day (5 June), Christmas Eve (24 December), and New Year's Eve (31 December).